The Conservatives only attracted 3.9 per cent of the vote in the by-election, compared to 15 per cent in the last general election.
Michael Shanks, the Labor candidate, easily overturned for the SNP in 2019 a majority of 5,230 votes won by Margaret Ferrier, who was later ousted by voters for violating Covid rules. He now has a majority of 9,401.
Keith Brown, SNP deputy leader, insisted his party had run a “positive, energetic and engaging campaign” despite the disappointing result.
He appeared to recognize that unionists had voted tactically to defeat the SNP.
He added: “As the Conservatives face the prospect of losing all their seats in Scotland, with a devastating result that saw them lose their deposit, it is Sir Keir Starmer’s pro-Brexit Labor Party that has benefited from the support of the Conservatives. conservative voters.”
